In 1995 a consultant orthopaedic surgeon looked at an x-ray of my lower back and told me I had advanced osteoporosis. I was only 48 so this was quite a shock.
As a result of this my GP prescribed the medication I am trying to trace. It came in a blue and white box about 7"x 5" and contained tubes of calcium tablets that were dissolved in water to make an orange flavoured drink and a bubble pack of tablets that had to be taken first thing in the morning with a glass of water. The tablets were taken for so many days then the drinks for so many days over about a month.
I took these for about seven years until I moved here and had a new GP. She sent me for a bone density test, the results of which were very good. I asked her if this was a result of the medication but she said there was no way it could have caused such an improvement and she doubted that I had osteoporosis in the first place! She stopped prescribing it!
I would really like to trace this stuff so I can see, with the new knowledge I have gained from this site, just what I was taking and if it is likely to be indicated in this pain I have in my groin. (Still waiting for an appointment for an MRI scan)
I would really appreciate any help.
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Omanain
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The only powder I could find was Strontium Ranalate - now discontinued.
Apart from that, suggest contacting your former GP, your records should be available. Otherwise, could try asking a pharmacist - older generation pharmacist ... <VBG>
Other : Here is a listing of osteoporosis meds that covers from 1980s - might find a link there. Hope this helps.
Thank you again Ruadh. I found the drug it was called Didronel which was Etidronate which was discontinued. I have tried googling it but all I can get was that it is "discontinued" I can't find any information about why!! I am still a bit concerned that I took a bisphosphonate for 7 years. Especially as this particular one has been discontinues!!
Didronel was discontinued in 2017 because it was thought not to be so effective in reducing the risk of fracture as the newer drug treatments and unacceptable side effects had occasionally been identified.
If a doctor could see osteoporosis from an ordinary x-ray your spine was either about to collapse or he was seeing things!!
If it was started in 1995 it wasn't raloxifene - it was only developed in 1997. As early as the 1970s they were using calcitonin but I can't find how it was presented.
I suspect it may have been something like this: a "Cyclical etidondronate regime"
but maybe with a different cycle? They quote 14 days of the tablets, calcium for the rest of a 90 day cycle. Are you sure it wasn't longer than a month?
Thanks. I found it through Ruadh's reply. It was called Didronel and has been discontinued. I said more of what I have found in my reply to Ruadh. As you will see I am not too happy!!
"Are there any drug treatments for osteoporosis that are no longer used?
As advances have been made in the understanding of osteoporosis and new, improved treatments have been developed, some older drug treatments have become unavailable. This may be because they are not so effective in reducing the risk of fracture as the newer drug treatments and unacceptable side effects have occasionally been identified.
Didronel PMO is an example of the former, while calcitonin is no longer used because of long-term health risks."
If it was out of patent and the UK NHS decided not to use it - the company wouldn't bother with it.
Wow! Me too! I mean to potentially cause such an improvement. Perhaps an older pharmacist might recognise it? Maybe it was Calcium and vit D and other good things?
I think it is most unlikely that I had osteoporosis in the first place. I now know osteoporosis can't be diagnosed from an ordinary x-ray but at the time I didn't know any better.
My mother was give what sounds like your medication when told she had osteoporosis. She hadn’t had a dex scan either. I don’t think you can diagnose osteoporosis with X-ray. What my mother was given was vitamin C with calcium. It dissolved in water and was like an orange drink. Hope this helps.
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